Hummingboard Inc.

What Hummingboard Inc. does

Hummingboard Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned professional services firm based in Toronto/Tkaronto that delivers outsourced governance support and executive services to social purpose organizations across Canada. Founded and led by Holly McLellan, who brings direct experience as both an executive director and a board member, the firm serves foundations, charities, and nonprofits through three interconnected service streams: a signature Annual Governance Cycle Management offering structured as an ongoing partnership; coaching for new, interim, or aspiring EDs/CEOs and, more recently, in-house Governance Staff; and short-term projects covering ED/CEO and board succession planning, records and policy assessments, digital governance database building, and strategic research. There is no proprietary technology platform underlying the offering; services are delivered remotely via Zoom, email, and digital document collaboration, and the go-to-market is sales-led, anchored by a complimentary 30-minute introductory meeting with the Principal.

The business model combines recurring subscription-style governance engagements with project-based professional services, augmented by accessibility mechanisms (sliding scale coaching and one pro bono coaching spot per quarter). Customer acquisition runs through the firm website (hummingboard.ca), direct email, and word-of-mouth within the Canadian nonprofit community, with a referral network of complementary consultants handling niche specializations outside the firm's core scope. Target buyers include EDs/CEOs, in-house governance staff, and volunteer board members of Canadian nonprofits, foundations, and charities, with values-based positioning around equity, justice, Indigenous reconciliation, and time-back-for-mission as the primary differentiator. No funding rounds, no disclosed headcount beyond the founder, no patents, no certifications, and no M&A or partnership transactions beyond informal consultant referrals appear in the source material, indicating a bootstrapped, founder-delivered practice rather than a scaling platform business.

Name

Hummingboard Inc.

Legal name

Hummingboard Inc.

Website

https://hummingboard.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hummingboard Inc. is a Toronto-based governance consulting firm that provides outsourced annual governance cycle management, executive coaching, and board advisory services to foundations, charities, and nonprofits across Canada. Founded and led by Holly McLellan, it operates as a remote-delivery, founder-led boutique practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Governance Consulting

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM)

Keywords

• Nonprofit governance consulting
• Board management services
• Executive coaching services
• Social purpose consulting
• Annual governance cycle management

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Governance Cycle Management: Ongoing partnership providing experienced and confidential governance services and executive support, working in partnership with ED/CEO and board members. Services include identifying annual governance priorities, planning annual board meeting calendars and standing agendas, preparing board packages, managing board committees, and strategic advice. This is a recurring engagement model based on a recommended right-sized ongoing support plan.
2. Coaching Services: Coaching for new, interim, or aspiring EDs/CEOs and in-house Governance Staff. Covers topics including planning for finance and audit, fundraising, team care and leadership, employment standards, strategic planning and monitoring, governance and compliance, risk management, and more. A sliding scale pricing option is available, and one pro bono coaching spot is offered each quarter.
3. Short-Term Projects: Discrete project-based engagements including ED/CEO succession planning, board succession support, records/policies/processes assessments, and research and consultation. Projects are scoped based on client needs and goals for specific deliverables.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hummingboard Inc. is a Toronto-based social purpose consulting firm providing outsourced governance support and executive services to foundations, charities, and nonprofits across Canada. Its core offering is annual governance cycle management — an ongoing partnership with EDs/CEOs and boards to plan board calendars, prepare board packages, manage committees, support meetings, take minutes, review bylaws, and ensure filings and record-keeping. It complements this with executive coaching for new, interim, or aspiring EDs/CEOs and in-house Governance Staff, and short-term projects covering succession planning, policy assessment, and research.

Product overview

Hummingboard Inc. offers governance consulting services as a unified offering rather than a software product platform. The company provides three interconnected service streams: (1) Annual Governance Cycle Management as the signature ongoing support, (2) Coaching for new, interim, or aspiring EDs/CEOs plus in-house Governance Staff, and (3) Short-Term Projects covering succession planning, records/policies, and research. All services are delivered remotely with a focus on social purpose organizations including foundations, charities, and nonprofits across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• EDs and board members report being stretched and lacking time for governance

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Referral Network (Other Consultants)minorOthersHummingboard maintains relationships with other consultants and is willing to make referrals to benefit clients from their specific areas of experience and expertise. This is not a formal partnership but a referral network for specialized needs outside Hummingboard's core services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• The Bridgespan Group: Bridgespan is a leading global nonprofit and philanthropy consultancy advising on strategy, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. It overlaps with Hummingboard's executive support and governance advisory scope but operates at significantly larger scale and serves large foundations and federated nonprofits.
• BoardSource: BoardSource is a long-established US nonprofit focused on strengthening nonprofit leadership and governance. It is directly comparable to Hummingboard's board support, governance advisory, and executive education work, though at much greater scale and with a US, not Canadian, orientation.

Direct peers

• La Piana Consulting: La Piana Consulting partners with nonprofits on strategic planning, leadership transitions, and organizational development. Like Hummingboard, it serves mission-driven organizations with custom advisory engagements, though with a broader US-based footprint and larger team.
• Tecker International: Tecker International is a boutique consultancy specializing in nonprofit governance, strategy, and executive transitions for social sector organizations. It mirrors Hummingboard's focus on board effectiveness, ED/CEO support, and governance cycle work, making it a close functional peer despite the US focus.
• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: CompassPoint provides consulting, leadership development, and research for nonprofit executives and boards, particularly around executive transitions and equity-centered leadership. Its mix of advisory services, coaching, and training parallels Hummingboard's offerings closely.
• Nonprofit HR: Nonprofit HR provides consulting and talent solutions for the social sector, including executive search, leadership development, and organizational support. It overlaps with Hummingboard's ED/CEO coaching and leadership support offerings, particularly around executive transitions.

Regional players

• Imagine Canada: Imagine Canada is a Canadian national sector organization supporting charities and nonprofits through standards, research, and resources. While not a direct consulting competitor, it shapes the same Canadian social purpose ecosystem Hummingboard serves and is a comparable reference point for Canadian nonprofit governance support.
• Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN): ONN is a provincial network representing Ontario's nonprofit sector through policy, advocacy, and capacity-building resources. It intersects with Hummingboard's work by serving overlapping Canadian nonprofit clients with governance and leadership support programming.

Emerging players

• Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy: The Johnson Center provides research, training, and capacity-building for nonprofits and foundations, including governance and leadership programming. Its nonprofit leadership and governance training mission parallels Hummingboard's coaching and governance cycle offerings.
• Cause Strategy Institute: Cause Strategy Institute advises nonprofits on fundraising strategy, board engagement, and donor stewardship. It overlaps with Hummingboard's governance and board support work, especially on engaging volunteer boards in resource development.

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hummingboard Inc.